


Day 2: Christmas Rush ft. Birdstartershipping

by Pippiuscattius



Series: Pippi's Holiday Shipping Challenge: Take Two [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Bad Puns, But I rly like the idea of little lesbian birdos, Christmas Cards, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Rush, F/F, Fan Characters, Ficmas, I know Birdstartershipping doesn't have a certain gender set to it, Love Confessions, Quirky Piplup, Rash Torchic, Rescue team, mild chaos, nestmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21784627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pippiuscattius/pseuds/Pippiuscattius
Summary: Torchic is rushing to put together something, anything that will convey the depth of her feelings to her resuce team partner, Piplup. But making cards isn't easy when you're a creature that breathes fire and lacks fingers...(This is part of a collection of silly, rushed drabbles for me to get into the holiday spirit. Make of them what you will, and happy holidays!)
Relationships: Torchic/Piplup
Series: Pippi's Holiday Shipping Challenge: Take Two [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569934
Kudos: 7





	Day 2: Christmas Rush ft. Birdstartershipping

**Author's Note:**

> Just like my PMD drabble from last time, these two are loosely based off old OCs from my days as a youngin'.

“Oh goodness, oh goodness, oh goodness,” Torchic muttered to herself, her beak flying over the scraps of paper on the table before her.

This had to be perfect. She’d been planning this for so long, impatiently awaiting the arrival of December so she could put it into motion. She’d told herself that she _had_ to do it, no more excuses, no more hiding her feelings, and certainly no more burning her attempts at a heartfelt holiday card for her rescue team partner!

The charred and ashen remains of her previous cards sat beneath the bedding of her nest, a sickly shame she couldn’t bear to risk leaving out in the open. They were all so rushed, so poorly-drawn (Though could anyone blame her for that? Drawing with a beak, two ungainly talons, and a pair of stumpy, fluffy wings was a near impossible task.), and most of all just not enough.

Piplup was worthy of so much more. After everything they’d been through, the perils they’d faced on their various expeditions and the bond they’d forged, Piplup deserved a true show of heart.

Which is precisely why, after wasting so much time on failing to create a card from scratch, Torchic gave in and bought a host of premade cards from the local Kecleon shop. Was it lazy of her? Perhaps. Was it desperate? Oh, most definitely. But if Torchic allowed these festering feelings to stew within her ember-driven core any longer, she might literally burst and end up a cooked chicken.

The question remained: if she was to resort to a bought card, how should she personalize it? And which one should she choose in the first place? She had a plethora to pick from, from cheesy “Seasons Greetings” to any number of whimsical images of Delibirds, but none of them quite channeled her feelings.

“C’mon, c’mon, what would she like, what would she like,” Torchic repeated, a mantra that guided her beady eyes over the contents of her den’s table. Pipulp was an odd one, that much was certain, so perhaps unconventional was the best way to go?

Torchic’s gaze landed on one particular card at that thought, one she had largely dismissed for its implications. However…it certainly fit the bill for something “unconventional.” “Baby, it’s Torkoald Outside” was written in bold letters across the front, outlined in a heated, smoky cloud emanating from a Torkoal’s shell. Said Torkoal had a decidedly unnerving smirk, its narrow, wrinkled eyes fixed on whomever held the card.

Frowning, Torchic pulled the card towards her with one of her wings, unfolding it. The interior showed the Torkoal curled up at a fireplace beside a Wartortle, the words “…So stay inside with me a while!” adorning the scene. It was quirky, but cute…much like Piplup herself.

That thought was what finally pushed Torchic towards her decision. Puffing out her chest, she gathered all her courage, already formulating what she’d say upon proudly presenting her gift—

“Heya, Tori!” a bubbly voice broke through the entrance of Torchic’s den, knocking the breath right out of her. Along with said breath, a blast of fire was unleashed from her beak, smackdab into the middle of her chosen card. Skittering embers danced further, blackening and burning the surrounding papers.

Beak dropping open in horror, Torchic slowly backed away from the carnage. Piplup stood in her doorway, nonplussed by what she’d just witnessed. The penguin waddled a few steps further into the room, her round, adorable eyes landing on her teammate.

“P-P-Pip!” Torchic choked out, spreading her little wings as though that would conceal the mess behind her. “You startled me!”

“Oh, sorry!” Piplup apologized, bowing and adjusting the adorable green bowtie around her neck. “I just wanted to ask about our next expedition—have you been making crafts in here?”

Before Torchic could stop her, Piplup brushed past her and towards the table of ruined cards. The stout penguin had to stand on her tippy-toes to peer over the edge of the table, and even as Torchic scrambled to block her, Piplup resolutely stood her ground.

Tilting her head, Piplup asked, “What did you—” She stopped herself as she examined the burnt cards, the faintest blush rising to her white cheeks. “Oh, wow…Tori…”

The heat of embarrassment in Torchic’s gut grew so hot that she nearly buckled. She’d wanted this to be a surprise, and for Piplup to instead stumble into her room at the least opportune time and catch her at her clumsiest moment…

“It’s…amazing!” Piplup’s praise rang out around the den.

Feathers fluffing up in surprise, Torchic took a step backwards. “W…what?”

“How’d you get it to do that?” Piplup prattled on, scooching around the table’s edge to take in more of its contents. “I didn’t even know you could control your fire that well.”

Dumbstruck, Torchic stayed frozen in place. “What…are you talking about?”

With a gleam in her eyes, Piplup plopped down from the table and spun around. “The heart shape you burned in all those papers!”

_…What?_ Torchic rushed past Piplup, her claws scraping the dirt floor as she perched herself at the table. There, atop its faintly scorched wood, a lopsided hole had been burned into the middle of the array of cards. Tendrils of wispy smoke smoldered around its edges, and although Torchic at first struggled to make anything meaningful out of the pattern, it clicked after a few moments: it _did_ look a bit like a heart.

“What’s it for, anyway?” Piplup asked, shocking Torchic out of her daze.

Slowly, Torchic lowered herself from the table. The awe evident in Piplup’s eyes said everything: whether this had turned out as intended or not, the end result was shaping up to be exactly what Torchic had hoped for.

Bolstering her resolve, Torchic adopted a triumphant stance. “It…it’s for you. I made it for you.”

It seemed that sparkles were dancing in Piplup’s eyes. “For me…?”

“Yes,” Torchic confirmed, undeterred even as her inner heat rose to her cheeks. “I was trying to put together a Christmas card for you, but…”

“But, Tori…Christmas isn’t for another twenty-three days,” Piplup pointed out.

“I know that!” Torchic huffed. “I was just…impatient.”

Silence. Then, a string of bubbly giggles ringing out from Piplup’s throat, a familiar sound that never failed to melt Torchic’s heart.

“Of course you couldn’t wait, you silly chickie,” Piplup teased, sticking her tongue past her beak. “Now I gotta make sure my card is even more dramatic!”

Torchic’s head snapped up. “You were making a card too?”

“I was planning to! Not until it got closer to Christmas, though.”

“Oh…” Torchic couldn’t help it; her blush only grew in intensity. “Well…I look forward to it, then.”

“You won’t be too impatient to wait ‘til it’s ready, right?”

“N-no!” Torchic denied, even as she felt the familiar burn of that very impatience overtaking her being. “I don’t wanna have to wait any longer to spend the Christmas season with you.”

“You don’t have to wait for that!” Piplup assured, slinging a flipper around Torchic’s back. “I’ll stick around; how couldn’t I after seeing that heart?”

Torchic’s own heart beat a little faster in her chest. “S-so, does that mean…?”

“Yes, I’ll be your nestmate!” Piplup proclaimed, not missing a single beat. “I heard your message loud and clear. I’ll have to move all my stuff in here, and we’ll have to make room for collection of bubble wands somewhere, but we can worry about that later!”

Flabbergasted beyond reason, Torchic simply hunkered down against her partner, relishing in the cool, slick skin against her downy feathers.

“…You know what?” Torchic said, a peace settling the flame in her chest. “We have nearly a whole month to figure it out. Why rush?”

_Thus ends the second day of Christmas._

**Author's Note:**

> I profusely apologize for the dumb pun in this I just couldn't restrain myself lmao


End file.
